I wouldn't, but you can test them. Put them into a large bowl of water If they float, they're bad.

Our children make a study of us in a way no one else ever will. If we don't act according to our values, they will know.~Starhawk New User Agreement! http://www.mothering.com/community/wiki/user-agreement

Wow, I'm wondering how you lost eggs in your fridge for over 5 months. We go through several dozen in a week!

Wow, I wish you were my neighbor. My chickens say at least 6 eggs a day and I had 48 frickin eggs in the fridge the other day before I finally made my husband take them all to work for his coworkers.

We eat about one days eggs in a week.

I've often wondered how long my chickens eggs will last. I've read that they last longer because they're not washed and they keep some protective coating on them. hmmm, off topic, I know. Sorry

Lisa

Our children make a study of us in a way no one else ever will. If we don't act according to our values, they will know.~Starhawk New User Agreement! http://www.mothering.com/community/wiki/user-agreement

Wow, I wish you were my neighbor. My chickens say at least 6 eggs a day and I had 48 frickin eggs in the fridge the other day before I finally made my husband take them all to work for his coworkers.

We eat about one days eggs in a week.

I've often wondered how long my chickens eggs will last. I've read that they last longer because they're not washed and they keep some protective coating on them. hmmm, off topic, I know. Sorry

Lisa

So I am going to have to ask this. I daydream about getting chickens (apparently the egg production might be more than I need), and this may be a stupid question, but how does that work? Do you need a rooster? Are the chickens having sex everyday? If not, how do the eggs get here? I feel dumb for asking, but I am so curious.

Are just laid eggs safe? Do you have to do anything special before you eat them? :

And as far as my eggs were concerned...I knew they were there...I just didn't feel like eggs YKWIM?

wife to , currently WOH and on my doctorate. (I'm dissertating!) We: with DS (4/09)!

I"ve used 4 month old eggs, before. I don't know if I've ever had any last 6 months, though. I think they just get more watery as time goes on. Just stick them in water. If they float, DON"T break them, or you will have a very, very unhappy smell in your kitchen.

So I am going to have to ask this. I daydream about getting chickens (apparently the egg production might be more than I need), and this may be a stupid question, but how does that work? Do you need a rooster? Are the chickens having sex everyday? If not, how do the eggs get here? I feel dumb for asking, but I am so curious.

Are just laid eggs safe? Do you have to do anything special before you eat them? :

And as far as my eggs were concerned...I knew they were there...I just didn't feel like eggs YKWIM?

well, did they float? I have 7 grown chickens and 3 babies. No rooster. The grown ones lay every day. It started with a trip the the feedstore to get dogfood and seeing cute chicks. 13 chicks later....LOL Some died, some were given away, some survived and now they lay!

The trick is to not wash them and they last a long time. They go from the nest to the fridge. I rinse off poop just before cracking if there's any poop. That's rare, but does happen. I loove chickens! They're so interesting, but I'm not that crazy about eggs. It was more interesting when we had roosters, but we had to give them away.

Lisa

Our children make a study of us in a way no one else ever will. If we don't act according to our values, they will know.~Starhawk New User Agreement! http://www.mothering.com/community/wiki/user-agreement

So I am going to have to ask this. I daydream about getting chickens (apparently the egg production might be more than I need), and this may be a stupid question, but how does that work? Do you need a rooster? Are the chickens having sex everyday? If not, how do the eggs get here? I feel dumb for asking, but I am so curious.

Are just laid eggs safe? Do you have to do anything special before you eat them? :

And as far as my eggs were concerned...I knew they were there...I just didn't feel like eggs YKWIM?

Oh my gosh, I've wondered the same thing most of my life. I asked the girl at the pet store why ds's goldfish was "nesting" to lay eggs even though it (presumably 'she') doesn't have a mate in there! She looked at me funny and said, "Well, they lay eggs regularly. They just don't get fertilized unless there's a male." Perhaps it's the same way with chickens? Though I thought they didn't lay eggs unless they had mated. Now I'm confused.

I suppose we lay eggs once a month... We just can't see them.
You should find out if they're bad. Crack one into a frying pan. I triple dog dare you. Or, throw them at your worst enemy's house.

Oh my gosh, I've wondered the same thing most of my life. I asked the girl at the pet store why ds's goldfish was "nesting" to lay eggs even though it (presumably 'she') doesn't have a mate in there! She looked at me funny and said, "Well, they lay eggs regularly. They just don't get fertilized unless there's a male." Perhaps it's the same way with chickens? Though I thought they didn't lay eggs unless they had mated. Now I'm confused.

I suppose we lay eggs once a month... We just can't see them.
You should find out if they're bad. Crack one into a frying pan. I triple dog dare you. Or, throw them at your worst enemy's house.

Well, with fish, the male scatters sperm over top of the already laid eggs. Most fish anyway. There are a few (sharks, notably) who inseminate internally.

Chickens lay eggs every day, even without a rooster present. Egg laying for chickens is similar to our menstrual cycle. Except that either way, the egg comes out. If it is not fertilized, it comes out, if it is fertilized, it comes out.

That said, I keep fresh eggs about a month, and toss store bought ones after 2 weeks or so.

I make a crust (generally a stick of butter and about a cup of rice flour), press that into the pie plate, and prebake about 10-15 minutes. Then I put some frozen broccoli down in the crust, add some grated or ripped-up cheese (the kids like it best with american cheese; I used to use cheddar) and then top with a mixture of eggs and milk, with salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder blended into the egg mixture before pouring over the broccoli and cheese.

I make my low carb, dairyless quiche with broccoli or spinach, usually with some lox mixed in, then top with a mixture of eggs and spices (no milk or milk substitute at all.) Sometimes I top with chopped nuts.

We have an emu egg that was given to us in January... It's HUGE and green and we just never got around to eating the darn thing. I'm going to go home and see if it floats.

Once when I was in high school I went to a birthday party at a friend's house. She lived on a farm and there were baskets of eggs in the kitchen from her chickens. Somehow a rotten egg got broken in the house and Wow! I've never smelled anything so awful in my life. We couldn't go in the house for hours.

I told DH he has to crack the emu egg outside because I'm afraid of that stench.

According to my research eggs expire one month from the date on the package!

I remember wondering the same thing, and the American Egg Association (or whatever) website said they were good for at least a month after the expiry date, possibly more. Eggs stay good for a long time, if stored properly.

We were just reading books in the Little House series, about Laura's ma's childhood. They were saving eggs in their cellar over winter, and they stored them in a barrel covered in fat to keep them fresh. They were still good in the spring.

I don't know, now I'm interested -- why don't you go outside and crack one of the sinkers? Eggs can last a looooong time, properly stored. I want to know now!

Also, emu eggs -- our coop stocks them, and once during my workday I was setting them out in a bin. Except there was one bad one in there, and OH MY GOD. We had to get rid of some of the good ones just because they'd gotten the stink on the outside.

Healthy young hens can lay about 250-300 eggs a year. It depends on the breeed. Australorpes just for instance, are amazing layers. You only need a rooster if you want to fertilize eggs. Laying hens lay-- it's what they do. No male needed. Our hens are personality plus. Delightful and docile. I love how they come running when they see me-- I'm the treat woman. I do squirt the hose about them when they come meandering towards my garden. Last summer, I had to fight for my right to my tomatoes-- they adored them!!